Application of Network Analysis Methods to Identify Best Locations for Pedestrian Crossings in Urban Road Networks

Pedestrian crossings are installed near junctions or in the mid block according to available guidelines, but they are not always necessarily best locations for pedestrian. They can be installed where people do not wish to use because it makes them detour from the shortest route. This study aims at investigating if there are optimal locations for pedestrians that can reduce overall travel times and distances in the perspectives of pedestrians. This study first develops some measures that can explain performance of pedestrian networks by using Dial’s algorithm (1971). These include total travel cost in a network and connectivity values for links. The values of these performance measures may change according to the locations of pedestrian crossings under consideration. For example, values of performance measures that can be calculated when crossings are installed in the mid block will be different from what can be calculated when crossings are installed near junctions. Then the study applies developed performance measures into a test network in Seoul, Korea. The suggested performance measures cannot entirely replace the current practice of deciding pedestrian locations but they can contribute on finding best locations for pedestrian crossings in urban road networks particularly when plural locations are under consideration.